Food treating apparatus and method

Abstract

Method and apparatus for treating fruits including use of an air plenum above palletized boxes of fruit to force air through the plenum and to the front of the trailer containing the palletized fruit. The air in very high volume per minute is forced downwardly and drawn through the fruit to provide controlled temperature and humidity. A portion of the exhaust air is recirculated while maintaining high humidity of at least 75% and temperature difference between inlet and exhaust air of no greater than 5° F.

We claim: 
     
       1. Fruit treating housing assembly for receiving ventilating boxes of fruit to be treated with controlled temperature and humidity comprising, a housing having front and rear ends, a ceiling, a bottom and sides,   a free space area located in front of and in contact with the front of said boxes forming an air space,   an air plenum formed independent of the top of said boxes within the upper portion of the space between the top of the boxes, the ceiling and the sides and creating a fruit treatment chamber below,   said air plenum extending from one side of the housing to the other and extending from the rear of the housing toward the front thereof and terminating at approximately the boxes located at the front of the housing,   said air plenum having an air inlet at the rear of said housing for fluid communication with an air intake and an air outlet end toward said front end to supply air flow to said front end,   air director means positioned within said housing assembly towards said front end to receive the air flow from said air outlet for direction downwardly along the front end below the top of the boxes and along the air space in front of the boxes towards the bottom of said housing assembly,   air supply means in fluid communication with said air inlet to provide high air flow of controlled temperature and humidity,   air return means to draw air primarily from said front end in front of and below the top of the boxes in a horizontal direction to penetrate through each of said ventilated boxes of fruit to the rear of said housing to form return air   the combination of the free air space area forming the air space, the air plenum, the air director means as well as the air supply means and air return means all providing the means producing the horizontally directed air flow, and   recirculation means for selectively combining a desired proportion of said return air to said air supply means whereby to affect humidity and temperature of said flow of air to said air inlet.   
     
     
       2. The assembly of claim 1 including, said air plenum having a lower wall formed of flexible material and having sides secured to the sides of the housing.   
     
     
       3. The assembly of claim 2 including, height adjusting means to raise and lower the height of said air plenum over the top of said ventilated boxes.   
     
     
       4. The assembly of claim 3 including, said height adjusting means including means attached to said lower wall to raise said lower wall.   
     
     
       5. The assembly of claim 1 including, said air plenum being formed as a flexible extensible tube.   
     
     
       6. The assembly of claim 5 including, said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of said boxes and the front of said housing.   
     
     
       7. The assembly of claim 6 including, said tube having a core holder positioned at the end of the tube to receive a core for winding up said tube.   
     
     
       8. The assembly of claim 6 including, said tube having said openings directed downwardly into said air space.   
     
     
       9. The assembly of claim 6 including, said tube having a flat lower wall and a plurality of holes provided in said lower wall to allow air flow onto the top of the boxes.   
     
     
       10. The assembly of claim 6 including, said tube having a core holder positioned at the end of the tube to receive a core for winding up said tube, and   said tube having said openings directed downwardly into said air space.   
     
     
       11. The assembly of claim 6 including, said tube having a core holder positioned at the end of the tube to receive a core for winding up said tube, and   said tube having a flat lower wall and a plurality of holes provided in said lower wall to allow air flow onto the top of the boxes.   
     
     
       12. The assembly of claim 6 including, said tube having a core holder positioned at the end of the tube to receive a core for winding up said tube,   said tube having said openings directed downwardly into said air space, and   said tube having a flat lower wall and a plurality of holes provided in said lower wall to allow air flow onto the top of the boxes.   
     
     
       13. The assembly of claim 1 including, said air plenum having a lower wall formed of flexible material and having sides secured to the sides of the housing, and   height adjusting means to raise and lower the height of said air plenum over the top of said ventilated boxes.   
     
     
       14. The assembly of claim 1 including, said air plenum having a lower wall formed of flexible material and having sides secured to the sides of the housing,   height adjusting means to raise and lower the height of said air plenum over the top of said ventilated boxes, and   said height adjusting means including means attached to said lower wall to raise said lower wall.   
     
     
       15. The assembly of claim 1 including, a second air director means positioned within said housing assembly including a vane positioned within the angle formed by the front end and ceiling of the housing to deflect air flow from said air plenum downwardly.   
     
     
       16. The assembly of claim 5 including, said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of said boxes and the front of said housing, and   a second air director means positioned within said housing assembly including a vane positioned within the angle formed by the front end and ceiling of the housing to deflect air flow from said air plenum downwardly.   
     
     
       17. The assembly of claim 5 including, said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of said boxes and the front of said housing,   a second air director means including a vane positioned within the angle formed by the front end and ceiling of the housing to deflect air flow from said air plenum downwardly, and   said tube having said openings directed downwardly into said air space.   
     
     
       18. The assembly of claim 5 including, said tube having a flat lower wall and a plurality of holes provided in said lower wall to allow air flow onto the top of the boxes,   said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of a second boxes and the front of said housing, and   a second air director means including a vane positioned within the angle formed by the front end and ceiling of the housing to deflect air flow from said air plenum downwardly.   
     
     
       19. The assembly of claim 1 including, said recirculation means being sufficient to recirculate at least 20% by volume of said return air.   
     
     
       20. The assembly of claim 19 including, said recirculation means being sufficient to recirculate at least 20-60% by volume of said return air.   
     
     
       21. The assembly of claim 1 including, said recirculation means including a valve to control the amount of return air recirculated back to said air supply means.   
     
     
       22. The assembly of claim 1 including, said air plenum being formed as a flexible extensible tube,   said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of said boxes and the front of said housing,   a second air director means including a vane positioned within the angle formed by the front end and ceiling of the housing to deflect air flow from said air plenum downwardly,   said tube having said openings directed downwardly into said air space, and   said recirculation means including a valve to control the amount of return air recirculated back to said air supply means.   
     
     
       23. The assembly of claim 1 including, said air plenum being formed as a flexible extensible tube,   said tube having a flat lower wall and a plurality of holes provided in said lower wall to allow air flow onto the top of the boxes,   said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of said boxes and the front of said housing, and   a second air director means including a vane positioned within the angle formed by the front end and ceiling of the housing to deflect air flow from said air plenum downwardly.   
     
     
       24. The assembly of claim 5 including, said tube having a flat lower wall and a plurality of holes provided in said lower wall to allow air flow onto the top of the boxes,   said air director means having openings at an extended end to direct air flow within said plenum downwardly into said air space between the front of said boxes and the front of said housing, and   said air space formed between said front end and said boxes extending from the top of said boxes to the bottom of said housing assembly and being of sufficient volume to permit the air flow from said air outlet of said air plenum.   
     
     
       25. A method of treating fruit in ventilated stacked boxes within a housing having a front, rear, ceiling and sides with controlled temperature and humidity conditions comprising, forming a separate air plenum independent of the top of the boxes and within the space between the top of the boxes and the ceiling, and air plenum extending from one side of the housing to the other and extending from the rear of the housing toward the front thereof and terminating at approximately the boxes located at the front of the housing,   forming an air space between the boxes and the front of the housing that extends substantially at least the height of said boxes,   introducing high air flow into said air plenum at the rear of said housing above said boxes and thereafter out of said air plenum toward the front of said housing,   drawing said air flow substantially from said air space, in a horizontal direction through said boxes and into contact with said fruit and out from the rear of said housing to form return air, and   conditioning said air flow into said air plenum in part by recycling at least a portion of said return air into said air flow to attain a desirable environment for said fruit.   
     
     
       26. The method of claim 25 including, directing said air flow downwardly into said air space.   
     
     
       27. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F. 
     
     
       28. The method of claim 25 including, recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture.   
     
     
       29. The method of claim 25 including, directing said air flow downwardly into said air space, and   maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F.   
     
     
       30. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F., and   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture.   
     
     
       31. The method of claim 25 including, directing said air flow downwardly into said air space,   maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F., and   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture.   
     
     
       32. The method of claim 25 including, said high air flow being at least 18,000 ft 3  /min.   
     
     
       33. The method of claim 28 including, said recycling being between 20%-60% by volume.   
     
     
       34. The method of claim 25 including, said air space between said boxes and the front being at least 4 inches.   
     
     
       35. The method of claim 25 including, said air space between said boxes and the front being between about 4-24 inches.   
     
     
       36. The method of claim 25 including, stacking said boxes closely together side by side and in superposed positions.   
     
     
       37. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining said front at a substantially uniform temperature.   
     
     
       38. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into said air plenum and the return air at about 2-3° F.   
     
     
       39. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the relative humidity of said air flow into said air plenum at 75-95% R.H.   
     
     
       40. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the relative humidity of said air flow into said air plenum at least at 85% R.H.   
     
     
       41. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F., and   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture.   
     
     
       42. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F., and   said high air flow being at least 18,000 ft 3  /min.   
     
     
       43. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F.,   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture, and   said high air flow being at least 18,000 ft 3  /min.   
     
     
       44. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air the return air at about 5° F.,   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture, and   maintaining the relative humidity of said air flow into said air plenum at 75-95% R.H.   
     
     
       45. The method of claim 25 including, said air space between said boxes and the front being at least 4 inches,   maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F.,   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture, and   said high air flow being at least 18,000 ft 3  /min.   
     
     
       46. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F.,   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture,   said high air flow being at least 18,000 ft 3  /min, and   said air space between said boxes and the front being between about 4-24 inches.   
     
     
       47. The method of claim 25 including, maintaining the temperature differential between the air flow into the air plenum and the return air at about 5° F.,   recycling at least 20% by volume of said return air into said air plenum to provide additional moisture,   said high air flow being at least 18,000 ft 3  /min,   said air space between said boxes and the front being between about 4-24 inches, and   stacking said boxes closely together side by side and in superposed positions.